Johnson changes his tune: No limit on city academies

Alan Johnson today changed tack on Tony Blair's flagship city academies programme by announcing it may be expanded in future.

In an interview with the Evening Standard, the Education Secretary said he would not cap numbers at the current target of 400 academies and would consider building more.

His pledge contrasted with comments made last month when the minister said 400 was "about right", which MPs and senior Blairites took as slamming the brakes on a key New Labour reform.

But Mr Johnson said his statement was "not a cap" and went on: "But, you know, as we come closer to 400, let's look at whether we need any more. I think we would have to get closer to the 400 level [before deciding]."

The minister is frontrunner to win Labour's deputy leadership contest and his remarks will be studied for clues to the direction of party policy under Gordon Brown.

Mr Johnson firmly declared that his top priority would be to drive up school standards rather than "talk about structures".

The product of an impoverished childhood and raised by his sister in a council flat, he has been accused of milking his humble origins, but remains defiant.

On his ministerial desk is a Tshirt that bears the slogan: "I went to a London state school and all I got was a place in the Cabinet."

The garment is a prop for a future government launch on social mobility.

Mr Johnson revealed that he would like the scheme to be endorsed by Croydon-born model Kate Moss. "We're hoping she will support it," he said.

Having left school at 15, Mr Johnson is now devoted to improving education for the most deprived children.

"In areas where kids have had the worst of everything, we are sending a real message - you're going to have the best of everything," he said. "I'm probably the first Education Secretary who was on free school meals."

He insisted he should keep his brief when Mr Brown reshuffles the Cabinet, saying: "I love it here, it's only just over a year in the job and I think you need a bit of consistency in education."

Mr Johnson showed less sympathy for middle-class parents fretting about being unable to get into their first choice of schools in London.

He said the number of appeals over rejections had fallen nationally, although critics maintain the chances of winning an appeal are lower than ever.

Improvements in London were "astounding" since 1997, he said, reeling off statistics showing increases in the number of children obtaining five good GCSEs, up from 32 to 54 per cent in inner London.

He also highlighted plans to close the "attainment gap" between rich and poor. "It's a terrible waste of talent that children on free school meals are half as likely to get five good GCSEs," said Mr Johnson.